


Like You Mean It

by SheKnowsBest



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Deception, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gaming, Older Woman/Younger Man, Online Friendship, Online Relationship, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:48:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27980256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheKnowsBest/pseuds/SheKnowsBest
Summary: When a rash decision leaves her with the deed to her grandpa’s dilapidated farm, Isabel’s pride won’t let her admit that she’s in over her head. She knows more about computers and Cave Saga than farming or fishing, but she’s determined to make her new life work.All Sebastian wants to do is get out of the dead-end town he’s known all his life, until an encounter with the new farmer turns his world upside-down. When she speaks, he recognizes the sultry voice of his longtime online gaming partner. In person, she’s more than he could have ever imagined — more beautiful, more insightful, more quick-witted and much, much more out of his league.But he’s got a plan for that.
Relationships: Sebastian & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian & Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian (Stardew Valley)/Original Female Character(s), Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 77
Kudos: 128





	1. Welcome to Pelican Town

Normally, a new entry in the Cave Saga series would be enough to have Isabel living off nothing but convenience food and delivery, sometimes for days. Under the circumstances, she could hardly get herself to focus. She’d been staring blindly at an image of the Adventurer decked out in spelunking gear for what felt like hours, though she’d yet to read a single word on the page.

She blamed it on the uneven bump of the bus as it took her away from Zuzu City. She’d thought it would feel better, leaving it all behind. Instead, anxiety squeezed her chest. She tried to ignore it like she’d been ignoring it for days now.

It was too late to take any of it back. Her apartment had been packed. She’d quit her job to become a farmer.

A fucking _farmer_.

She forced herself to take a slow breath, staring at the Adventurer and thinking of the few thousand gold she had left in her savings. The paltry cash had been her reward for sacrificing all semblance of a social life to make rent and pay bills in the city. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about that in Pelican Town. She had a fully paid-off farmhouse waiting for her and no social life left to offer up.

She jerked, her temple hitting her comic as the bus sputtered and lurched to a stop. Outside the tinted window nearest to her, a modest strip of sidewalk crossed a short dirt path. Overgrown bushes and thick trees crowded the grass on the other side of the road.

“Everyone out,” the driver called. 

Isabel stowed her copy of Cave Saga X and took a sip from her water bottle, trying in vain to drown out some of her nervousness. By the time she felt ready to get off the bus and face the consequences of her temper, the sidewalk had nearly cleared of people. Immediately, she made eye contact with the sole person left lingering: a smiling redheaded woman.

“Hello! You must be Isabel.”

Reflexively, Isabel smiled, though she imagined she’d smoothed her brow a moment too late to completely hide her confusion. The woman wore a fur-trimmed vest over a bright yellow shirt and dark green pants tucked into thick work boots. The look was distinctive, though Isabel couldn’t place her.

“Yes, that’s me,” she answered.

“I’m Robin, the local carpenter.” The woman shook Isabel’s hand, hers rough with tell-tale callouses. After a few months on the farm, Isabel’s hands would probably feel about the same. “Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He’s there right now, tidying things up for your arrival.”

Isabel blinked. She hadn’t been expecting a welcoming party, though the mayor himself had emailed her the same day she’d enquired about taking possession of Lakewood Farm. Her grandpa’s old place had apparently been hers and waiting for years.

“The farm’s right over here,” Robin continued, “if you’ll follow me.”

Cheery birdsong filled the air as the carpenter led Isabel past a sheer, rocky outcropping. She eyed the cliff wall nervously even though thin, metal netting appeared to be holding everything in place.

She wasn’t sure what to expect. Her grandpa had visited her family in Zuzu City on all the requisite holidays, but they hadn’t been particularly close. He’d died years ago, and before that she’d never heard of Lakewood Farm.

She’d tried to find pictures of the property online, but she’d only been able to find a blurry, satellite-view image that told her the farm had a lot of trees. Her grandpa had apparently bought it long before posting realty photos online became the norm, and no company had bothered to map the little backwoods road it sat on.

Her eyes fixed first on the farmhouse’s chimney. The pale, gray bricks looked bright against the rust red metal of the cabin’s roof. Vertical planks of wood made up the siding, though Isabel noticed some gaps in the boards as they got closer. The whole thing looked smaller than she expected, modest and time-worn. Still, against the green pines that grew behind it, the cabin almost looked… warm. It looked kind of cozy.

“This is Lakewood Farm,” Robin said, gesturing outward with one arm.

Isabel’s congenial smile froze on her face as she caught sight of the field in front of the house. Overgrown trees, untamed bushes and untrimmed grass appeared to have completely taken over the southern side of the farm. A broad swathe of thick trees mercifully hid what had to be a matching picture stretching out to the west. Anxiety squeezed her chest again.

“Wow,” she managed. She tried to swallow. 

Robin turned to eye her. “What’s the matter?”

Isabel cleared her throat, willing herself not to think about how little she really knew about farming. She’d been raised in a Zuzu City apartment and grew up to move into the same. She’d never had so much as a planter to take care of, let alone a few acres. “Well, it’s not exactly what I pictured when I read ‘Lakewood Farm’ in Grandpa’s letter.”

Robin smiled as she shrugged. “Sure, it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s some good soil underneath that mess! With a little dedication you’ll have it cleaned up in no time.”

“Right,” Isabel said, her eyes sweeping over the uneven rocks and choked grass in front of the farmhouse. At least the structure itself looked relatively sturdy — not that she knew a thing about architecture.

Robin offered her an encouraging smile. “…And here we are, your new home.”

As if on cue, a mustached stranger emerged from the home. This had to be the mayor.

“Ah, the new farmer!” he greeted them cheerfully.

"That's me. I'm Isabel."

The man joined them at the bottom of the stairs, bringing with him the smell of liberally applied aftershave. Isabel managed not to wrinkle her nose as she parted her lips to avoid the smell. The man gripped her hand in an overly enthusiastic handshake, his upturned mustache practically vibrating with his excitement.

“Welcome! I’m Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town. You know, everyone’s been asking about you.”

“Everyone?” Isabel asked, feeling another echo of nerves. That seemed unlikely, but then everything she’d learned about life in the country, she’d learned on TV. “How big is Pelican Town, exactly?”

The mayor laughed, brushing off her question. “It’s not every day that someone new moves in. It’s quite a big deal!”

The town had to be pretty small, then. They’d make nosey neighbors — she’d bet the rest of her gold on it.

“So…” Lewis said, “You’re moving into your grandfather’s old cottage. It’s a good house… very ‘rustic.’”

Isabel turned to face the cabin again. It had a thick-looking wooden door topped by a charming round window. In the space next to the door sat a bigger window flanked by pale green shutters, though they looked about as worn as the rest of the house.

“Rustic?” Robin said with a laugh. “That’s one way to put it… ‘Crusty’ might be a little more apt, though.”

Isabel's smile faltered at the same time as the mayor turned to frown the redhead.

“Rude!” The mayor’s voice was full of censure, though Robin still huffed with laughter. “Don’t listen to her, Isabel. She’s just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades.”

Robin cringed, but to her credit, she didn’t try to deny it. Isabel could handle that — especially when that kind of honesty came from what had to be the only carpenter for miles around. With ease granted by practice, Isabel slid on her job-interview smile.

“It’s okay,” she assured Robin.

“Anyway…” Lewis shook his head. “You must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest. Tomorrow you ought to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself.”

Considering the mess that was now her farm and the fact that she still didn’t know just what in the hell she was doing with her life, mingling with the locals was low on Isabel’s priority list. Hell, she didn’t even know the names of her neighbors in the city, and she’d lived in the same apartment for years.

 _You wanted the country life, Bel._ Her smile remained steady.

“Definitely,” she said. “I will.”

“The townspeople would appreciate that. Oh, I almost forgot.” The mayor turned, gesturing to a wooden box set off in the grass beside her cottage. “If you have anything to sell, just place it in this box here. I’ll come by during the night to collect it.”

That made Isabel pause. “Really? I didn’t even know there were places where mayors… did those kinds of things.”

“We’re a small community,” he said, smiling kindly at her. “We help each other out. I’ll get your stuff sold to Gus over at the saloon or Pierre over at the general store. Wherever it needs to go. Well… Good luck!”

With a wave and another sheepish smile, Robin followed the mayor. Isabel turned, forcing herself to survey the farm again.

The land to the south stretched out in a tangle of saplings and grass for as far as she could see. On the eastern side, she caught the glimmer of what might have been a lake, though she couldn’t be sure from where she stood on the porch. She swept her gaze toward the west, watching the line of trees thicken.

Clearing the land was going to be a massive piece of work. Still, the breeze that kissed her cheeks felt clean and refreshing after the hours she’d spent on the bus. She took a deep breath, picking up hints of spicy sage and sweet pine.

This little cottage and this mass of overgrown land at the edge of Pelican Town was all hers. Her work would determine whether it would flourish or fail. Her work would actually _matter_. She’d never been a big believer in energies or any of the New Age stuff that her dad had gotten into since his retirement, but if she closed her eyes, something about the place felt almost… _right_.

_Weird._

She hadn’t known Grandpa well, but maybe he’d known her better than she’d realized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for giving my story a shot! My plan is to update at least once per week until this bad boy is done. All feedback is welcome -- good or bad! Hope to see you next week :).


	2. 'I need to get out of my mom's house'

Sebastian tapped his cigarette, watching as ashes fell from near the glowing tip. He brought it back to his mouth for a slow breath before puffing out smoke. The acrid cloud hung in the air for a moment before the mountain breeze swept it away. He closed his eyes and tipped back his head. Already, he could hear the croak of early-season frogs on the nearby lakefront, the sound as familiar and soothing as always.

The buzz of his phone in his pocket shattered the peace. With a curse, he squinted at the bright screen until he could see that he had a message from Sam.

**Come 2 the Stardrop**

Sebastian held his cigarette between his lips, freeing his hands long enough to answer.

**Can’t tonight.**

Before he could put his phone back into his pocket, Sam responded.

**Cmon dude, what r u doing**

If Sebastian had his way, he’d be smoking a spliff and settling in for a night of _Intergalactic Wars III_ with Beatra, but he had work to finish and she hadn’t been online for days. The game just wasn’t the same without her.

**Abbys coming**

Sebastian cringed. Yoba, did Sam even realize that knowing that made him want to go to the Stardrop _less_ , not more? He’d made such an ass of himself at the Feast of the Winter Star that he’d been avoiding her ever since.

**I still have a project to finish tonight.**

**Do it l8r**

**U can make ur own schedule right?**

Sebastian scoffed. No one in town seemed to get his job, Sam included.

**I still have deadlines.**

**Ur no fun**

He didn’t expect Sam to understand. They’d been friends practically forever, but Sam seemed happy enough to live in his parent’s house until he died. Sebastian didn’t plan to live in this shithole town forever.

**Still down for Thursday?**

**Yup.**

**Cool**

He tapped his cigarette as he put his phone away, blinking to help his eyes adjust to the darkness. He should have just left his phone in his room. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone anyway.

“Shit!”

His eyes jerked to the side as a feminine voice sounded from across the lake. His gaze landed on an unfamiliar, dark-haired woman. She held a fishing pole in one hand as she tossed what looked to be a pile of green algae on the ground next to her. She growled something, but her words were too low for him to make out.

As quickly as he’d seen her, Sebastian averted his gaze. A few days ago, his mom had mentioned someone moving into the farm down the mountainside from her house. He hadn’t met the new farmer yet, but he’d have bet a round at the Stardrop that this had to be her.

He hated trying to make small talk, so he took the woman’s appearance as his cue. He’d learned over the years that the best way to avoid people he didn’t feel like talking to was to just stay in his room. Before the woman could acknowledge him, Sebastian thumped out his cigarette and headed back toward his mom’s house.

The walk took less than three minutes and he didn’t run into anyone else on his way. The front door closed with a soft snick as he locked it behind him. The home felt warm and inviting, though the dueling scents of sweet syrup and noxious sulphur ruined the effect.

Sebastian scowled in the darkness of his mom’s workshop. Who in the hell cooked eggs _at night_? His fucking step-father, that’s who. Sebastian’d known early on that they wouldn’t get along. The guy was just too weird, too in his face all the time. Normally, Sebastian came home late enough to avoid him, but he could hear Demetrius’ muffled voice from further down the hallway as he slipped down the stairs to his room.

_I need to get the fuck out of my mom’s house._

He didn’t feel himself relax until after he’d closed his bedroom door and locked it behind him. He might not have windows here, but he paid the rent to ensure that the space was all his.

Once he’d gotten his work computer booted up, he settled into finishing his latest freelance project. Coding felt familiar, comforting. He’d spent the most awkward years of his life hiding away in his room, learning to work with computers better than he ever could with people. He only wished he’d have learned sooner how lucrative that self-education could be.

Two hours passed before Sebastian thought to check the time again. Since the farmer had chased him away from the lake early, he’d be done sooner than he’d expected. He wrote out a message to his client — a travel agency in Zuzu City — but left it in his email drafts once he’d finished. He wanted to run through the module one last time. He needed his work to be perfect.

Once he was satisfied, he sent the project on to his client. Even though he’d checked his email moments ago, he checked his inbox again. A thin black zero near the top of the page told him that he had no new messages. His last email, a form letter thanking him for his job application, had come in hours earlier.

Nothing new. It was exactly what he’d expected. Who wanted to take a chance and hire a programmer without a college degree to back up his skills?

 _No one._ Obviously.

He grit his teeth and shut down his computer before sliding down his desk, toward his gaming computer. He tried to ignore a distracting and _irritating_ pulse of anticipation in his chest. He’d felt the same sense of expectation each time he’d turned on his gaming computer for the last nine days, and he’d been left wanting every single time.

He slung his headphones over his ears and packed himself a bowl while waiting for the computer to load. With a few clicks, the familiar logo of _Intergalactic Wars III_ appeared on the screen. He lit his pipe and inhaled before his avatar, Vexhri, appeared. The tall and lithe Lianti chemist was decked in sleek black armor and carrying an oversized rocket launcher.

The burn of the smoke in his lungs helped mask some of the familiar disappointment he felt when he saw that Beatra still hadn’t been online. He’d been trying to wait for her before beginning the Murkette campaign, but her avatar had been idle for days now. Without the husky voice of his favorite partner in his ear, the uncharted expanse of Murkettian space just looked like a giant grind.

He exhaled.

She’d warned him that she’d be MIA for a few days, but he couldn’t let go of the niggling feeling that this was the beginning of the end. Real life was getting too busy for her. He’d seen it happen plenty of times before.

Still, starting a questline without her felt… wrong, somehow.

He shook off the thought, inhaling another lung-full of smoke and holding it. He’d just have to get over it.

 _Or maybe not_.

His heart kicked when he saw Beatra’s name pop into his active friends list. He exhaled, the bold white letters bright behind the lingering cloud of smoke. Her avatar joined his on screen, her short New Gaian frame covered by a sturdy, navy blue flight-suit. Names in white floated above other players as they approached, but Sebastian ignored them.

As soon as the audio icon next to her name lit, Sebastian was talking. "Hey Bea, how was the move?”

Her answering groan felt like balm over his nerves. “Dude, don’t even ask about the move. I don’t even want to think about it.”

“That bad?” he asked.

She scoffed. “Moving is stupid, don’t ever do it.”

Her deadpan tone made Sebastian grin. If she’d lived in butt-fuck nowhere for her entire life, like he had, she probably wouldn’t feel that way. He didn’t bother to argue the point. She'd left the city because Joja had fucked her over, not because she'd wanted to leave. “Got it.”

Beatra sighed, the sound soft in his headphones. “I’m a complete clusterfuck right now. I need to do something I’m actually _good at_ for a few hours. I’m so fucking glad you’re online.”

Her words eased something tight in Sebastian’s chest.

“I thought you were going to bail on me,” he admitted.

“No way, V. We’re not even halfway through the Fellowship of the Five quests.” When she paused, he heard the familiar scratch of a lighter sparking and a long inhale. A few seconds later, Beatra coughed. “Damn man, I’ve been wanting to smoke all day.”

He smirked. _Don’t I know that feeling._ “You need a minute or are you ready to go?”

She coughed again. “Let’s do it.”

Whenever they played together, they always used Sebastian’s ship, the _Pathfinder_. He’d unlocked the military cruiser in the same week he’d met Beatra and had upgraded it since to maximize the ship’s storage and defenses. On screen, Sebastian’s avatar followed Beatra toward the _Pathfinder_ ’s dock.

“Where did we leave off?” he asked.

“I think one of the Vothua folks wanted us to steal a relic off the _Bawdy Lady_.”

The _Lady_ was a pirate ship and sure to be full of trigger-happy types. It sounded like just the kind of thing Beatra needed. “I’m game if you are.”

“You know it.” Abruptly, Beatra stopped. “Ow, fuck!”

“What, what happened?” Sebastian’s avatar froze on-screen as he scanned for the red dots that marked enemies.

“Shit, my hands are all fucked up,” Beatra hissed as she lurched forward again. “Just ignore me.”

His avatar followed hers. “What happened to your hands?”

“I spent all fucking day clearing weeds out of my front yard,” she grumbled. “I need to get a better pair of gloves.”

Sebastian snorted as he settled down into his chair. “Alright, big shot with the front yard.”

Beatra laughed. “You say that, but it’s bullshit. I say yard but this is… Grandpa left me a huge amount of land and it’s a hot mess. Like, really a hot mess. I’ve been wanting to play _Intergalactic_ for like… three days now, but I’ve been so fucking busy trying to clean it all up. I probably shouldn't even be playing right now."

It sounded like her absence was going to be the new norm.

 _She’s got an actual life_. _It’s not like she was going to be sitting around, waiting for you to play with her forever._

"Come on," he said, ignoring the pang he felt in his chest. "Don't tell me you logged on just to tease me?"

Beatra's husky laugh filled his headphones again. "I would never. I can play for a bit tonight."

On screen, he watched her avatar disappear as she transitioned into the ship.

_This is always how it starts._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around for the second installment of “Like You Mean It” :)
> 
> If you caught this story previously, you might have noticed that I've added the "Older Woman/Younger Man" tag, which will become more important as the story progresses. I'll be updating the tags later too, as other plot points begin to shake out.
> 
> See you next week!


	3. 'The spirits are very displeased'

When her alarm sounded, Isabel met the day with a groan. She fumbled for her phone on the cardboard box that served as her bedside table. Before she could second-guess herself, she hit the snooze button and rolled over, pulling her comforter over her head.

Nine minutes later, the insistent shriek of her alarm pulled her from sleep again. She cursed as she shifted onto her back, throwing out an arm to silence her phone. Her bleary eyes focused on the gaudy green wallpaper her grandpa’d put up in the cabin. Yoba, he’d had such bad taste.

When she shoved her legs over the side of her bed, every one of her muscles seemed to protest. Her thighs throbbed in time with her heartbeat, a sign of just how much her body hated the adjustment to farm life. She probably could’ve used a good night’s sleep last night, but she’d known the moment she’d seen Vexhri’s name in bold on her computer screen that it had been too late for that.

Now, she needed coffee.

It took a bit of maneuvering and a lot of cursing to get her electric kettle under the faucet in the farmhouse's tiny bathroom. As she waited for the water to heat, she scooped a generous heap of instant coffee grinds into a mug and flipped on her grandpa’s clunky television. The bunny ears only picked up two channels.

"Ah... I sense that a new viewer has joined us.” A woman's voice floated up from the television. “A young lady from... Stardew Valley? Welcome, welcome!"

Isabel smirked, adding sugar and dry creamer to her cup. That was a lucky guess. That or tracking technology had gotten better than she really wanted to know.

“The spirits are very displeased today,” the woman on TV said. “They will do their best to make your life difficult.”

As if cued by the woman’s warning, Isabel’s phone lit up with an incoming video call from her mother. She grimaced, her reflection on-screen barely illuminated by the TV. She’d missed her mom’s last two calls, so she couldn’t just ignore this one. Still, it would’ve been nice if Isabel could’ve had a cup of coffee before facing her.

She flipped on the lamp by her table, bathing the room in warm light. It wasn’t that Isabel was avoiding her mom, exactly. To her mom, Joja Corporation had always represented safety. She’d been with the company for so long that the company felt like family. She couldn’t understand why Isabel would leave that.

She’d only outright asked Isabel once, and then Isabel hadn’t known how to tell her mom that she’d been passed up for a promotion — _again_. The words would’ve branded her as a failure. Instead, she’d heard herself spew some crap about wanting a break from the city, and her mom had looked at her as if she’d suddenly started speaking Dwarvish.

Watching her reflection, Isabel attempted to smooth down her hair before fixing a bright smile onto her face and accepting her mom’s call. A soft chime let her know when they were connected. Her mom’s face appeared on Isabel’s screen, all straight white teeth under fluorescent lights. She was calling from the break room at JojaMart’s regional headquarters, judging by the plain gray cabinetry and nondescript white walls behind her.

“Good morning,” Isabel said, her voice cheery enough to match her expression. “You’re up early.”

“I got to work a little early today. I just wanted to check in, see how you were doing.”

“Things are coming along.” A familiar _ding_ sounded from Isabel’s toaster, a quiet reminder that she’d moved into a house that didn’t have a kitchen. “There’s plenty of room for improvement.”

“Yeah? Oh — good morning.” Her mom smiled at someone over the top of her phone before looking down at Isabel again. “Sorry. How’s the farm going? Are you planting a lot?”

“So far, I’ve got about a dozen parsnips in the ground.” Isabel shrugged. “I’m hoping for the best.”

Her mom’s face got larger on the screen as she leaned forward, her lips pinched into a frown. “Only a dozen? Is that enough?”

Isabel bit back a snip of irritation. “Everyone’s got to start somewhere. Besides, I’m still clearing the land and planning everything out.”

“You’re clearing land? Yourself?” One of her mom’s dark eyebrows rose.

That made Isabel frown. What was she supposed to hire someone? “Of course? Who else would clear it?”

On Isabel’s screen, her mom just shrugged. “It sounds messy.”

“Well, it is farming.”

“Right.” Her mom cleared her throat and then smiled over the top of her phone again. She glanced back at Isabel. “Well, I won’t keep you. I’m about to go into work.”

“Okay, mom. Love you. Hope work goes well.”

“Love you, too.”

After ending the call, Isabel sighed. She grabbed the electric kettle, pouring hot water into the cup she'd prepared. The smell of burnt coffee wafted up from the mug and Isabel took a deep breath.

In the city, she'd dreamed of having an apartment with room for a home office. In the farmhouse, she didn't even have a real bedroom. The sturdy desk she'd been lugging around since college looked too large where it sat near the cottage's only real selling point: its working fireplace. The place hardly looked like a home, and it definitely didn't look like the home of a 31-year-old woman who had made the right sort of life decisions.

She shook her head, switching off the TV as a familiar Joja Cola jingle began.

She’d only just moved onto the farm. There was time left to fix everything up. First, though, she would need some gold.

Her hands ached as she pulled on her field gloves. She flexed her fingers, ignoring the feeling. From the chest by her front door, she pulled out her watering can, her pickaxe and her fishing pole, just in case.

It was time to get to work.

—

Sam threw his hand of _Solarion Chronicles: The Game_ cards down on the table as Sebastian narrowed his eyes, tallying up their score.

“We got a D,” he said, “but at least we finally finished it.”

“Finally,” Sam agreed as a guitar riff sounded from his phone. He quieted the sound with a tap, his eyes skimming the device before he grinned at Sebastian. “Hey, it’s Abby. She wants to hit the Stardrop again tonight. You game?”

“Pass.”

Sam frowned. “What is with you lately? I thought you liked Abby.”

Sebastian picked up Sam’s discarded cards and sorted them back into their proper stacks. “She’s fine, I just haven’t wanted to hang out with her lately.”

“Bullshit. You always want to hang out with Abby — or you did.” Sam crossed his arms as his frown deepened. “You’ve been acting weird.”

Sebastian blew out a breath. He’d been trying to avoid this conversation.

“Look,” he said as he shuffled the scenario cards, “Abby’s not interested.”

“Come on,” Sam scoffed, “you don’t know that.”

“I know it.”

When Sam’s eyebrows rose, Sebastian sighed. He neatly stacked the scenario cards and grabbed another pile from the table.

“It was the Feast of the Winter Star,” he admitted. “I got Abby. I went up to that place she took us to up in Zuzu City and got her one of those blueberry cobblers she liked.”

“Seriously? And you didn’t tell me?” Sam interrupted, leaning forward. “You know they had the best maple bars I’ve ever had!”

Sebastian waved him off. “I give her the cobbler, and she loves it and it just… felt right.”

Sam waited for a beat before prompting, “And?”

“You know,” Sebastian said, keeping his eyes on the cards in his hands. When Sam made an annoyed sound, he blurted out, “I tried to kiss her.”

“What?” Sam slapped the table, jolting the game pieces. “You did what?”

Sebastian sighed, shaking his head as he put the monster cards back on the table. “Like I said, she’s not interested.”

Sam didn’t say anything as Sebastian cleared the map. He didn’t bother to right the fallen game pieces, just threw them back into their box. He secured the shuffled game cards with separate rubber bands and began to fold up the board.

Sam clicked his tongue.

"It's for the best, man,” he said, shaking his head. "I mean, Abby’s cool and all, but think about it. If you’d have gotten together, you probably would’ve just ended up getting stuck here in Pelican Town.”

Sebastian snorted. "Fuck that."

"That's the spirit." Sam grinned. "Besides, there's plenty more fish in the sea."

"Yeah, right.” Sebastian shook his head. “Abby doesn't like me. Penny’s always hanging out with kids. I only ever see Leah getting hammered with that guy who lives on the beach. Who’s even left?”

Sam leaned forward, one eyebrow cocked suggestively. “You know, there’s a new girl in town.”

“The farmer?” Sebastian made a face. “She actually chose to move here. You know there’s got to be something wrong with her.”

Sam shrugged. “Everyone’s kind of fucked up.”

“Well, that’s true.”

A chime sounded from Sebastian’s idling gaming computer.

“That’s your problem,” Sam said as Sebastian rose from his chair. “You’re basically always here playing games. How’re you supposed to meet girls from in here?”

When Sebastian woke his sleeping computer, he found a message from Beatra waiting.

“Girls play games too,” he reminded Sam. His friend only snorted.

“Right, sure, girls like your little Miss Catfish Surprise.”

Sebastian shot him a dirty look. “Shut up. You know she’s not catfishing me. We’ve been playing together for, like, two years now.”

Sam didn’t look any more convinced than he had been the last time they’d had this conversation. “Maybe she’s playing the long con.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you going to the Stardrop or something?”

“Alright, I get it. I can tell when I’m not wanted.” Sam pushed up from his chair. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

He didn’t bother to follow Sam to the door or lock it behind him. He’d been waiting to hear Beatra’s voice all day.

When he saw her message, his eyes narrowed.

**gonna have to take a raincheck tonight. long story. catch you next time?**

He puffed out a breath, frustrated. It had only been a night since they’d last met online,but already it felt like it had been longer. The dull ache in his chest told him that he’d been looking forward to hanging out with Beatra even more than he’d realized.

Apparently, she didn’t feel the same way about him. Girls never did.

 **sure,** he typed, **raincheck. let me know.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you may be asking yourself, “When in the hell are these people gonna meet in person already?” And the answer is: In the next chapter. I promise :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. An Encounter at the Stardrop Saloon

In the ladies room at the Stardrop Saloon, Isabel studied her reflection. Under the bar’s soft lighting, her dark hair gleamed. A few swipes of volumizing mascara made her eyes look big, and blush made her cheeks rosy. She’d paired a simple, pattered red sundress with a slouchy gray cardigan and a pair of black ankle boots. She looked good, if a bit overdressed for this crowd. No one else in the bar looked like they’d even bothered to change out of their work clothes.

Down to the way she dressed, everything seemed to mark her as the new girl in town. Thinking about it made her feel exhausted.

When she'd pushed open the door to the Stardrop Saloon earlier, she'd been looking for a quiet night of anonymity. She hadn’t expected what might actually have been the _entire town_ to show up for a Friday night at the bar. Even worse, from the second she’d stepped inside, every eye seemed to swing in her direction.

Her smile had kicked on, a reflex from nearly a decade spent in the talent acquisitions department of the Joja Corporation, though she’d silently balked at the thought of making introductions and holding her bland smile all night. She’d planned to turn on her heels and leave. Instead, she’d made eye contact with the mayor. One look, and she’d known she wouldn’t be able to put off introductions any longer.

Damn, she was too tired to have to deal with this crap. She pursed her lips at her reflection and shook out her hands in a weak effort to re-energize herself. There were a lot of things she didn’t understand yet about small town life, but Isabel knew that when the mayor told you to introduce yourself to folks, you were expected to introduce yourself to folks.

First, though, she needed a drink. Preferably something strong.

The bar had somehow filled up more by the time she left the bathroom, but Isabel plastered on a smile and kept her eyes on her destination. She waved as she passed Emily and Pierre, the man who ran the general store, and hopped onto the first unclaimed barstool she found.

“Oi, Gus!” A blonde woman called. “Gimme another pint of your strongest!”

“You got it, Pam,” Gus answered with a smile. He turned toward Isabel as he poured the drink. “Business has been really good tonight. I’m pleased.”

“That’s great,” Isabel said, ignoring the weight of a measuring stare from somewhere off to her left.

“What can I get for you?” Gus asked.

“A whiskey water, please.” It wasn’t the beer that she’d come to the Stardrop Saloon for, but it would loosen her up fast.

"Sure thing.” Gus glanced over Isabel’s shoulder. “And a water for you, Sebastian?"

A masculine voice mumbled something that sounded like, “Thanks,” as Isabel shifted to see a man standing behind her at the bar. She recognized his shaggy hair and his simple black sweatshirt from the nights she’d spent fishing up at the mountain lake. Just like all the times she’d seen him before, he didn’t acknowledge her with so much as a glance.

Up close, the man looked taller than he had from across the lake. It was hard to tell from her seat, but he seemed to have a good six inches on her. When he swallowed, the swell of his Adam’s apple bobbed, looking so indecently large and ripe that Isabel felt the distinct urge to wrap her lips around it.

Heat slammed into her face as her gaze shot forward. Clearly, it had been too long since she’d last gotten laid. Never in her life had she had such a strong sexual reaction to a man’s _Adam’s apple_ before.

"That'll be 550 gold,” Gus said as he set her drink on the counter.

She handed him her credit card, glad for the distraction. "Can I start a tab?"

Gus nodded, putting the card into a stack near the cash register. Isabel plucked a lemon slice from the rim of her drink and squeezed it, mixing the juice into her whiskey before taking a sip. When she turned, her eyes locked with ones the color of dark iron and narrowed in what might’ve been suspicion. Crap, had the man caught her staring? She felt her cheeks warm as she forced herself to smile.

“What?” she asked, resolutely keeping her gaze above the man’s chin. “Are bar tabs frowned on out here?”

Gus thumped the stranger’s water on the counter between them. “Tell Sam I’ll have his pizza out in ten.”

“Thanks,” the man answered, his eyes never leaving Isabel. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

Isabel took a deep breath, catching the faint hint of cigarettes mixed in the stuffy air of the bar. _Here we go_. “Not yet. I’m Isabel. I just moved into Lakewood Farm.”

The man’s eyes widened. “ _You’re_ the new farmer?”

Isabel frowned. Maybe she really had overdressed. “I’m not sure if you’re saying that as an insult or a compliment.”

“A compliment,” he answered quickly. A beat later, a flush began to stain his cheeks. He broke eye contact to reach for his water. “Sorry, I’m Sebastian. I live up on the mountain.”

Isabel’s lips tipped up into a genuine smile as she relaxed back against the bar. She’d always had a thing for shy guys. “I thought I recognized you. You’re always chain smoking up by the lake.”

Sebastian flashed his teeth in a grimace. “Yeah, it’s a bad habit.”

“Definitely. You should quit.” Isabel took another sip of her drink, feeling more comfortable already. “Honestly, now that we’ve met, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from asking to bum a smoke the next time I see you out there.”

He turned those dark eyes on her again. “Oh, do you smoke?”

“I used to.” She shrugged. “It’s probably been… maybe three years since I quit. I was up to a pack a day and that shit was getting too expensive.”

Sebastian smiled, sending a fresh bolt of awareness down her spine. Oh, she liked his smile.

“Yeah, that’s a good reason to quit.”

“Sebby! Isabel!” Isabel turned to see Robin approaching the bar. “I see you’ve met my son. Hey Gus, can I get two pale ales?”

For a moment Isabel blinked, her answering smile frozen on her face. _Sebby?_ Was she talking about Sebastian? That didn’t seem right. Robin couldn’t be older than 40, at the most.

“Coming right up,” Gus answered.

A glance told Isabel that Sebastian’s face had gone red all over again. If he was Robin’s son, then he couldn’t be much older than 20.

_And he’d ordered a water at the bar._

“ _Mom_ ,” Sebastian hissed as Isabel took a healthy gulp of her drink. She hardly even felt the burn past the heat of her embarrassment. Yoba, had she been so desperate for male attention that she’d failed to notice that she’d been flirting with a freaking _child_?

“What? I told you about Isabel, didn’t I?” Robin shook her head, turning away from her son. “I bet the farm is starting to shape up nicely. How're you settling in?"

"Oh, it's been great," Isabel answered, keeping her eyes on Robin. With Sebastian standing in her peripheral vision, it was easy to see the family resemblance. Mother and son had different coloring, but they both had the same big eyes in the exact same shape, the same high cheekbones. "I managed to harvest a decent crop of parsnips, so things are coming along."

“I bet Pierre loved that,” Robin said, nodding at Gus as he delivered her drinks. “Have you met everyone in town yet?”

“Not quite. Cleaning up the farm has been a handful.”

Robin shook her head sympathetically. “That sounds exhausting. Sebby, why don’t you introduce her to some of your friends?”

Sebastian shifted back, leaving space for Isabel to pass. “Yeah, sure.”

“Thanks," she smiled in his direction, but she still felt too embarrassed to meet his gaze. With her free hand, she waved at the carpenter. “See you, Robin.”

“Don’t forget about the pizza,” Gus said.

“Right,” Sebastian answered.

With another sip of her drink, Isabel followed him deeper into the bar.

—

When a feminine cheer sounded from the corner of the Stardrop Saloon’s backroom, Sebastian ignored it. Isabel wouldn’t look at him now, but for a split second after his mom’d caught up to them at the bar, she’d looked… horrified. He wasn’t sure what he’d done, but in that instant he knew he’d somehow blown his shot. Already. And he’d hardly even talked to the woman.

He made himself focus on the pool table in front of him. If she’d recognized him, she hadn’t shown it — even though _he’d_ recognized _her_ from the moment she’d opened her mouth.

“Hey, that was fun! Thanks, Isabel.” Abby giggled, a sure sign that she’d reached her alcohol limit.

“Yeah, it was fun. It’s been awhile since I’ve played an arcade game.”

In his peripheral vision, he could see Isabel smiling at Abby, their faces bright in the light from the screen of the _Journey of the Prairie King_ machine. He narrowed his eyes and lined up his shot. If he leaned forward just right, he could sink another solid ball into the corner pocket furthest from him.

He was pathetic, he knew it. Most of his Friday night had been spent pretending to care about a game of pool while straining to hear Isabel’s voice as she introduced herself to what had to be every single person in town. More than once, he’d wondered if he’d tipped from desperate straight into delusional.

He didn’t have to strain to hear Abby, who always got louder the more she drank. “I didn’t think you’d know how to work a joystick so well! But it seems you’re experienced.”

At her words, Sebastian scratched, his pool cue smudging blue across the side of the cue ball.

“Excuse me?” Isabel’s voice sounded a touch higher than it did online, maybe, but offended she sounded even more like Beatra. She narrowed her dark eyes at Abby. “Did you just call me a whore?”

Abby giggled again, but before Sebastian could intervene, Sam put his pool cue across the table.

“How many beers have you have tonight, Abby?” he asked.

“Just two! Or maybe it was three?” She slouched against the game machine. “I can’t remember. How long have we been playing?”

Isabel shook her head, the heat in her eyes fading into bewilderment. “Wow, you really can’t hold your alcohol.”

“I think it’s time to get her home,” Sam said, offering Isabel an apologetic smile. “Sorry, she normally isn’t like this.”

“Really, she isn’t,” Sebastian agreed as he picked up Sam’s pool cue and stored it with his by the Joja Cola machine.

Isabel shook her head, holding her hands up in the universal sign of no offense taken. “It’s fine. You’ll make sure she gets home okay?”

“Yeah, she’s not too far from here. Come on, Abby.” Sam slung an arm around Abby’s shoulders. She leaned into him with a groan.

“I think I had too much to drink,” she grumbled.

“Yeah, you did.”

Sebastian glanced at Isabel as she cocked an eyebrow in his direction.

“So, are you staying then?” she asked, her expression unreadable.

Was she hoping he’d leave along with Sam? “That’s the plan.”

She grinned, tipping her glass in his direction. “Good. Cheers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's Eve, y'all! Here's hoping for good things in 2021.


	5. 'All boys play the same'

Leaning against the _Journey of the Prairie King_ machine, Isabel threw her head back, swallowing the last of her drink. It burned a path down her throat, forcing her eyes to water and searing away the lingering awkwardness she still felt.

“You okay?” Sebastian asked, one of his dark brows raised.

“Never better,” she croaked as though she weren’t dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her cardigan. “Or — ask me again in 10 minutes.”

Sebastian stood near the pool table, his water in one hand while the other scraped his hair back from his face. The dark strands ignored his efforts, flopping back into their original shape the second he let go.

All night, Isabel had felt too aware of him. In between introductions and small talk that she performed mostly by routine, she kept finding herself glancing in his direction. Now, without Sam or Abigail in the room, it seemed she had his full attention. It gave her an odd sort of rush, but she decided she’d worry about that later. For now, the alcohol thrumming through her system steered her mind in a different direction. She leaned forward, biting her lip.

“Hey Sebastian, do you think I could buy a cigarette off you?”

The question got her a small smile that seemed to soften those stormy eyes of his.

“No, but I’ll give you one. You want to go now?”

Isabel grinned, “Yes, please.”

Sebastian gestured ahead of him. “After you.”

The Stardrop Saloon had emptied considerably. Isabel had no trouble navigating to the bar, where she and Sebastian relinquished their empty glasses. On their way to the door, she waved goodbyes to Emily and Gus. Thankfully, Robin and her husband — Sebastian’s dad? — had already left.

Outside, the breeze felt cool against Isabel’s face. With her eyes closed, it almost felt like she was back in the city, though there the breeze had been caused more by the wind tunnel effect than anything else. When she opened her eyes, an impossible number of stars seemed to hang in the sky above her head.

“It’s beautiful out here.” She sighed before a sudden gust made her tug her cardigan closer. “And windy.”

Sebastian glanced at her, his face partially hidden by the shadow cast by the Stardrop Saloon. “Are you cold?”

The pads of her fingers pulsed with heat in time with her heartbeat, a sure sign that she’d gotten good and hammered. She grinned, shaking her head at Sebastian. “No, I’ve actually got a pretty thick beer jacket on right now.”

“Good,” Sebastian said. When he offered her a cigarette, she took it. He grabbed one for himself and clicked a lighter to life in front of her. She leaned in.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

“No problem.”

The tip of her cigarette caught, glowing orange as she sucked in a lungful of smoke. When the breath hit her lungs, she coughed inelegantly, feeling her chest burn. Through her watering eyes, she could see Sebastian grinning at her.

“Geeze, why did I miss this?” She took another cautious drag and made a face. “This tastes like shit.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard it's not great for your lungs either.”

Isabel pursed her lips. “Right. Hah hah. Oh — there’s the dizziness.”

When Isabel swayed, Sebastian steadied her with a hand on her arm. “Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The heat of his hand seemed to penetrate her cardigan, tensing her arm below and demanding all of her attention. She liked it enough that she forced herself to break contact, leaning instead against the rigid brick wall behind her. “It’s just been awhile.”

She flicked her cigarette as they lapsed into a companionable silence. The streets of Pelican Town were small and deserted, save for the two of them. As they smoked, Isabel heard the quiet chirps of local fauna, the sound so unlike the constant murmurs of strangers and traffic that she’d grown accustomed to in the city.

It was kind of nice.

“You sure you’re not cold?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah, I’m alright. How about you? You didn't even drink tonight. How are you not cold?”

He shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

“Are you from here, then?”

The glow cast by his cigarette bathed his face in orange light for a few moments before he answered. “I’m not from here, but we’ve been here for awhile. My mom and I moved here when I was six.”

“When you were six,” she repeated. "So, how old does that make you now?”

“I’m 23.”

Isabel bit her lip. He was older than she was expecting, but still eight years her junior and much too young for her. Unfortunately.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“I’m 31.”

They both looked down when her phone vibrated in her cardigan pocket. A message from her mom — undoubtedly on her way home from the night shift — waited: **Don’t forget your dad’s birthday tomorrow!**

A second later, she noticed the time.

“Fuck, it’s already past midnight.” Isabel cringed guiltily. “Sorry Sebastian, I don’t mean to bum a smoke and run, but I’m going to have to call it a night. I have to get up super early tomorrow.”

It sounded lame, but it was true. She was already doomed to get fewer than six hours of sleep, and the thought alone was enough to sober her up a little bit.

If Sebastian was disappointed by her abrupt departure, he didn’t show it. He just nodded. “I’ll walk you home.”

“Are you sure?” She hadn’t meant to end his night early, too.

Sebastian nodded. “It’s on my way.”

“Right.” He was pretty much her closest neighbor. “Okay, sure. I’ve already closed my tab. Are you ready to go?”

Sebastian nodded, moving to the side to allow her to lead the way back to the pavement in front of the Stardrop Saloon.

“Did you guys beat _Journey of the Prairie King_?” he asked as he fell into step beside her.

“Of course.” Then, because she couldn’t help herself, she added, “I usually beat the game in Hard Mode.”

He looked surprised. “I didn’t even know that game had a Hard Mode.”

She grinned at him, feeling the alcohol in the warmth of her cheeks. “Yeah, you might say I’ve spent way too much time playing _Praire King_. Have you played?”

“Once, a long time ago. It’s not really my kind of game. I’m more into RPGs.”

He glanced at Isabel, his expression cautious. Was he being shy about playing video games? _Cute._

“I’ve been playing a lot of _Intergalactic Wars III_ lately,” he said.

Isabel stopped mid-stride, swinging around to face Sebastian. “What, really? I’ve been playing _Intergalactic Wars_ since release day. I love that game!”

Sebastian cleared his throat. “Yeah?”

“Yes! I didn’t think I’d meet anyone out here that played. What’s your handle?”

An odd expression flitted over Sebastian’s face so quickly that Isabel couldn’t quite interpret it. For a second, it almost looked like her question had hurt his feelings. He started walking again.

“I’m not looking for anyone new to play with,” he said.

Isabel’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, so it’s going to be like that? Your loss, pal. I maxed out my stats months ago. Before I moved to Stardew Valley, I used to play just about every day.”

Which reminded her that she still needed to get back to Vexhri about their next meetup. She hoped he’d still want to play with her, even though she’d all but ghosted him since moving out of the city.

Beside her, Sebastian shrugged. “I’m starting a new account for a solo run.”

“Okay, fine, but when you get to the Irivani system and you can’t get past the hoards in the tombs, don’t come crying to me.”

“Seriously, the tombs?” Sebastian scoffed. “Every tomb in _Intergalactic Wars_ is basically the same. You just chuck a grenade out and pick them off one by one as they react to the explosion.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. He sounded like Vexhri. “All boys play the same.”

“Why? What would you do? No, let me guess. You’d sneak in and pick them off the slow way.”

She scoffed. “The slow way? You have to explore the whole tomb for loot anyway. It’s two birds, one stone!”

He waved her off as they rounded the corner toward Marine’s ranch. “You can just explore after you’ve killed everything, and it takes what, half the time? A quarter of the time?”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “I bet you play as a chemist.”

The narrow-eyed look Sebastian gave her answered that question for her.

“And I’ll bet you’re a mercenary.”

She grinned at him. “Damn straight. Those sneak-kill bonuses are no joke.”

His glare softened into something warm, an intimate smile that told her he’d known that she would make that argument. The odd familiarity sent new jolts of awareness into Isabel’s stomach. They were walking close enough now that they were almost touching. If she leaned just a little bit to the side, would he even notice?

_Eight years, girl. Calm down._

She forced herself to avert her eyes, using her cigarette as an excuse. She stubbed it out in the dirt outside Marnie’s ranch and picked up the butt to throw away later.

“Whoa, it’s dark,” she said when she stood up again. She pulled out her cellphone, using its flashlight to illuminate the beaten dirt path ahead of them. “I can’t believe they don’t have lampposts out here.”

“We’re practically in the forest now.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

As they crossed into Lakewood Farm, Isabel silently congratulated herself for clearing up a path between Cindersap Forest and the cabin. She pointed her flashlight at the dirt between the small, southernmost pond and the larger one to the north of it, carefully keeping the light off the debris that still littered the farm around them.

“I forgot Lakewood was a forest farm. It’s got to be different from what you were used to in Zuzu City.” Sebastian’s voice floated up from somewhere to her right. “What made you move to Stardew Valley?”

She’d been repeating the same disingenuous bullshit about coming out of a sense of duty to her grandpa all night, but when she opened her mouth to answer Sebastian, the words just wouldn’t come. His voice sounded oddly deeper in the dark, and somehow familiar, too — like someone she could talk to. Whether from the alcohol or the intimacy created by the hush around them, she felt like telling him the truth.

“Why does anyone leave their hometown?” Isabel shrugged, shifting the light in front of them. “I guess I wanted a clean slate. I worked at Joja Corporation for 10 years as a talent recruiter. At first, it was great. I mean, I had good pay, there were always extra hours to work and I really thought the job was important — you know, matching people and places in the company. That felt like it really mattered. But by the end… I just needed to start over.”

She glanced in his general direction. “I know, that sounds so cliche but… whatever. It’s the truth.”

Her flashlight revealed neat rows of potatoes, parsnips and kale laid out in front of the farmhouse. A rumpled scarecrow, made with wood, fiber and a spare bit of coal Isabel had found, stood guard over the growing crops.

“No, that sounds like bullshit,” Sebastian said. “Fuck Joja.”

At that, Isabel couldn’t help but grin.

“Fuck Joja,” she agreed.

The porch stairs creaked in protest as they ascended. When they reached the door, Isabel turned to see Sebastian had turned on his flashlight too.

“Thanks for walking me home. I had fun tonight.” Saying the words made Isabel flush. Why did that sound so much like they were ending a date? He’d hardly even shown any signs of being attracted to her — not that she’d been looking for them.

 _Thank Yoba for the darkness._ She fumbled for her keys as the heat in her cheeks intensified.

“Yeah, it was good,” Sebastian said. When he pointed his light toward the front door for her, she thanked him again.

He was standing close enough now that she could breathe him in, an unfamiliar woodsy scent in the air. She liked it. She tipped her head back to look at him, the planes and angles of his face dimly lit by the reflection of their combined flashlights.

“Good night,” she said, with a smile that felt refreshingly real.

She waited for his answering “Good night,” before she closed the door behind her. Then, she pressed her back to the wood and slid down to the floor. Her cheeks felt hot against her cool hands and her heart seemed to be pounding in her chest. Her smile felt too large.

Yoba, she was in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so sorry for getting this chapter out late. Things are wild in the U.S. right now! I'll be updating once every one or two weeks for the foreseeable future. I appreciate y'all for sticking it out with me so far.


	6. 'Fishing for gossip'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for bearing with me these last few weeks. Things are starting to settle down for me, so I should be back into a regular weekly schedule soon 🤞
> 
> Fair warning: I’ve bumped up the rating for this story from Teen And Up to Mature because I mention a vibrator in this chapter, and I imagine I’ll bump it up again in the future. If you started reading this because you were looking for a non-explicit work, holler and I’ll see what I can do to accommodate.
> 
> Thanks again for reading 😊

Sebastian gulped his lukewarm coffee, hoping this one would do the trick. He’d already lost count of how many cups he’d had today. He’d slept like shit.

It had been two days since he’d met Beatra — _Isabel_ — at the Stardrop Saloon. He’d tossed and turned all that night, asking himself just what in the hell had stopped him from telling her that he was Vexhri. In the moment, it had just felt like he couldn’t. She’d asked for his handle, and it’d felt like a punch to the gut.

He hated how fucking emotional he got sometimes.

After another generous gulp of coffee, he set his mug back on his desk, next to his keyboard and the phone he’d pointedly placed screen-side-down. His stool squeaked as he settled in. Leaning forward, he tried to focus on the glowing text of his inventory and the accompanying illustrations, and not on the dull gray letters of Beatra’s name in the friends list he’d pinned to the top of the screen.

The day after they’d met at the Stardrop Saloon, she’d messaged him to schedule a gaming session. He’d spent the hours between then and now planning out his approach. He couldn’t just tell her his name — it would look too suspicious, and besides, the idea alone made his stomach clench. The real-life Beatra was so far out of his league that it wasn’t even funny. It would be better if she never knew he’d recognized her at all.

His eyes focused on his screen again as the letters of her name brightened against the translucent gray of his friends list. The image of his legendary plas-proof gauntlets seemed to fade into the background behind it. A second later, the audio icon lit next to Beatra's name.

“Hey V, I’m coming to you," she said in that unmistakable voice. _Isabel's_ voice. "Sorry I’m a little late. One of my new neighbors dropped by.”

He swallowed hard, his stomach churning from a mixture of renewed nerves and too much coffee. It seemed impossible that Isabel wouldn’t recognize him. He knew she wore headphones, just like him. He’d had to wait for her to connect them before. He knew his voice was right in her ear, just like hers was in his.

_Maybe she doesn’t want to recognize you._

“Yeah?” he forced out.

“Yeah, this guy noticed I’d found some copper the other day and he just happened to have some blueprints for a furnace laying around, so he dropped by.” She made a confused noise. “Who does that? Not that I’m not grateful but…”

She didn’t finish. The click of a lighter sounded over his headphones as he closed out of his inventory and minimized his friends list, revealing the smooth hull of the _Pathfinder_. He heard Isabel take a deep breath, laced with the characteristic hiss of a burning bowl, while on screen he turned away from his ship, positioning himself to watch for Beatra’s bright blue hair against the chaos of the surrounding ship bay.

After a measured exhale, she continued, "It’s creepy. I mean, I literally caught one piece of copper yesterday while I was fishing, and this guy wasn’t anywhere near me when that happened. I don’t even know how he could have found out.”

 _Welcome to Pelican Town_ , he wanted to say, but it was too soon. He needed to get Isabel to mention Pelican Town first. “Weird.”

“Right? I was hoping all that small town nosiness stuff was just a stereotype but no — everyone here is all up in my business.”

Sebastian's response stuck in his throat. She’d lumped him into that impression.

_She’s going to find it creepy when she finds out who you are, too._

“Is it like this where you live?” she asked.

Here was his opportunity. All he had to do now was steer conversation toward the fact that he happened to live in Stardew Valley, too. But then Beatra’s name appeared amid the throng that navigated his screen, and he choked.

“Yeah, it’s pretty much just like that,” he answered, lamely. _Exactly like that._

The letters of her name grew bigger as she neared, passing NPCs and players wearing the shapeless robes of the Priests of Zefi, metallic armor of varying weights, monochromatic flight suits and everything in between.

“Oh! And yesterday, the mayor showed me around this old community center they’ve got in town, and it was so weird. Like, heebie-jeebies weird. So, not only do I have to deal with all the gossip, but I’m also having to deal a possibly haunted community center.”

“What? Really?” Pelican Town’s community center had been dilapidated for as long as Sebastian could remember, but the last time he’d snuck in — a few years ago now, back when he was in high school — he hadn’t noticed anything weird.

“Yeah, the mayor was talking to me and I swear it was like, poof. A little green ball appeared behind him. He said he thought it was a rat, so he’d leave the place unlocked for me — like I’m some kind of exterminator or something. I seriously don’t think he could’ve paid me to go back in there.”

That sounded exactly like something Mayor Lewis would do. Before he could come up with a response that didn’t give away just how well he understood what she was talking about, a Lianti player in off-white robes moved aside to reveal Beatra.

She looked exactly as she had six nights ago, after they’d both traded their preferred gear for their non-descript Fellowship of the Five apprenticeship armor, but the sight of her made his heart pound all the same.

“It’s worse because I don’t even really know what I’m doing,” she continued with a sigh. “I think I told you — Grandpa’s land is in Stardew Valley. It’s a whole, actual farm — or at least, it used to be. When I saw it was in the mountains… I don’t know. I guess I was hoping I’d find like… some burly lumberjack types, or something.”

Sebastian wet his lips. Telling her who he was would only weird her out, but _not_ telling her meant that talking about Stardew Valley made him feel like he was lying to her. He needed to change the subject. “Lumberjacks, huh? I didn’t think that was your type.”

Isabel laughed, the sound as rich and warm as he remembered in person. “Maybe all this mountain air is getting to me. I don't even know what I would do with a lumberjack. I mean, I guess I'd actually just ask him to cut down the trees taking over the farm.”

He cringed in sympathy. Lakewood Farm had been vacant since he’d been a teenager and it’d always been overgrown. In high school, him and Sam occasionally hid out in the woods on the property, which had been perfect for two teenagers looking for a quiet place to get stoned.

“Or actually, I might not even do that. I’d probably be too busy being grateful that the lumberjack even existed. The dating scene out here is —“ instead of finishing, Isabel made a raspberry sound. “All I need is a cat and I’m pretty much all set to die alone in my creepy old cabin in the woods.”

Sebastian scoffed as he heard the click of Isabel’s lighter over his headphones again. Even if he hadn’t met her in person, he would’ve known that to be a lie. Beatra always seemed to be bursting at the seams — bursting with rage at her bosses at Joja, or sass when they played the rare competitive round or brilliance in the middle of a raid. She was the most alive person he’d ever known. There was no way a woman like her would end up alone.

She took a deep breath and held it as his mind worked. If she thought she’d end up alone, then that had to mean no one in Pelican Town had caught her eye. If no one had caught her eye, then that had to mean he had less competition. Right?

“You really haven't met anyone out there?” The moment he heard the words out loud, Sebastian realized how obvious they sounded. He slapped a hand over his face, covering his eyes, as he felt heat rise to his cheeks.

Isabel just laughed. “Are you fishing for gossip, V? Or are you just trying to get me to talk about my sex life?”

His face only got hotter. “I -- what? No!”

Her answering snort somehow managed to calm some of his frayed nerves.

“Relax, relax, I'm just joking. I…” she paused. “Well, there is one guy in town... I don't know. I shouldn't even be thinking about it.

Her words made him snap back to attention. His hand fell back to his desk. “Who?”

“Yeah, you’re totally going to know him.” Her voice was so expressive that Sebastian could hear her eye-roll. “It’s a younger guy.”

A younger guy? She could’ve be talking about him or she could’ve been talking about Sam. When he spoke, his voice came out strangled. “Oh?”

“Don't laugh! It's not like there are a lot of options out here. And I'm being good, I'm keeping to myself.”

Sebastian cleared his throat. That didn’t narrow it down. “What’s wrong with younger guys?”

“Nothing!” Isabel answered quickly. “But I mean, this guy isn’t just a year or two younger than me. He’s almost, like, a _whole decade_ younger than me. Just checking him out makes me feel like a creeper. Although… if he were a lumberjack, I think I’d go for it.”

He swallowed hard. It had been awhile since he’d swung an axe by choice, but he could make the exception. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. I’d be into it. Not that it’s going to happen. This guy he's... shy, I guess. The total opposite of me."

_She’s talking about me._

Before he could think better of it, he said, "Maybe he'll surprise you."

Isabel laughed, the sound soft in his headphones. "Wouldn't that be nice? Maybe it's just been too long since I've gotten laid. My vibrator has practically lived on its charger since I moved here."

Unbidden, his mind conjured an image of Isabel, tan skin flushed and desperate as he pressed a vibrator against her. He swallowed hard and forced himself to focus on his screen, filled with the image of Isabel’s avatar.

“Wow,” he managed.

“Sorry,” Isabel said with a soft laugh that said she wasn’t. “TMI, I know. I’m losing all sense of decorum out in the country. But enough about my adventures in Stardew Valley. How's your job hunt going?"

He'd yet to get a response that wasn't a form acknowledgement or rejection. "I'm still feeling out the market."

"Well, if you ever want me to look over your resume, feel free to send it over. You know, I used to have to do that for work. I've probably got some interview tips you can use too, depending on what kind of job you're going for." He definitely would not be doing that. As if she could somehow sense his discomfort through her headphones, she continued after half a beat, "Want to pick up with the Fellowship stuff? We’re dressed for it.”

“I’m game,” he said, letting the topic slide. "Let me swap out my gear and I’ll meet you in the _Pathfinder_.”

“Sounds good.”

As she turned to enter the ship, he pushed down a pulse of guilt and focused instead on what Isabel’d said.She wanted a strong, lumberjack type to sweep her off her feet? It’d take some work, but he could do that. He turned to access the _Pathfinder's_ inventory as a plan began to take shape in his head.


	7. 'Scrapes, chipped nails and all'

With a grunt, Isabel heaved her pickaxe over her shoulder. Her hands slid down the wood handle, imitating the guy she’d seen on ViewTube earlier in the morning. He’d said the move would maximize the force she got into her swing. For the big boulder stuck in the dirt south of the farmhouse, she needed all the help she could get.

Despite protests from her aching arms, she slammed the pickaxe down. It connected to the rock with a muted “ding.” A second later, it bounced off with enough power to nearly jerk the tool out of her hands. It stuck in the ground near her feet, splattering mud across her overalls and the yellow shirt she’d worn underneath.

“Motherfucker!” She pushed her sweaty hair out of her face with the back of her glove, trying not to smear more muck onto herself. Two days of steady rain had left the farm a wreck, but she needed this space cleared and tilled if she wanted to plant more crops this season. Cutting back clumps of overgrown weeds and chopping fallen tree limbs had been easy enough, but then she’d reached this boulder.

Panting, she aimed a glare at the offending rock. Not a nick marked the spot she’d hit.

“Is this a bad time?”

“Shit!” The rumble of a man’s voice made Isabel jump. She swung around to find Sebastian standing behind her, his hands shoved into the front pocket of his oversized hoodie. When she faced him, one side of his lips quirked up into a smile.

“You scared me,” she huffed, one hand rising to her chest as though she could calm her racing heart.

“Sorry," Sebastian answered.

He didn’t sound like he meant it, but Isabel couldn’t blame him. She resisted the urge to smooth down her hair. Objectively, she had to be a sight to see, and Sebastian hadn’t seen her since they’d met at the bar. He wore pretty much the same thing he’d worn on Friday, but somehow he seemed to look better in the light of day. It was something in his wide stance, or maybe it was the mischievous glint she caught in his smile.

Meanwhile, Isabel probably looked like she’d rolled around in mud all morning. Fantastic.

“Mom had a letter for you,” Sebastian said. “It was on my way, so I figured I’d save her the postage.”

He shifted his stance as he pulled an ivory-colored envelope from his pocket. When he offered it to her, Isabel tugged off a stiff glove to take it. Over the front, her name had been written in neat block letters.

“Thanks.” She twisted, shrugging off one strap of her backpack to slip the letter inside. It’d be reasonably protected there.

“No problem,” Sebastian said.

When he didn’t immediately leave, it took effort to keep Isabel from fidgeting. Were her dirty overalls and unkept hair not screaming _fuck off, I’m farming_ loud enough for him? Of course, the cordial smile she’d donned by default was probably giving him the opposite impression, but she just couldn’t bring herself to drop it. Sebastian was either getting her rote smile or the full force of her frustration, and he looked far too relaxed to deal with the latter today. It felt like a relief when his gaze shifted over his shoulder.

“I saw the new addition on your porch. It looks good.”

She tried to follow his gaze, but hers tripped on the angled swell of his Adam's apple. He was clean-shaven, his neck curved at the perfect angle to showcase it, and despite herself, she couldn’t look away. Her eyes traced its shape, nestled in the strong lines of his long neck. Even looking straight at it, she couldn't say what she found so… sexy about it.

The slight pain of her teeth digging into her lip snapped Isabel back to the present. She felt herself flush as she released her lip and gave her head a hard shake. Damn, she was getting distracted! And being a freaking creep, too. She forced herself to refocus on her porch, where the flashing lights of her new Prairie King Arcade System had to have caught Sebastian’s attention.

“Thanks. I won that in a sweepstakes.” She'd been so frazzled lately that she couldn’t even remember entering the contest. Had it really been just over a week since she’d left her little one-bedroom apartment in the city? Sometimes, it felt like it had to have been longer. Her hand brushed anxiously over the handle of her pickaxe.

“Nice.” When he turned back toward her, Sebastian’s gaze dipped to follow the nervous twitch of her hands. When it landed on the tool at her feet, she stilled. His eyes narrowed.

“Are you trying to break up that boulder?” He nodded at the rock behind Isabel. She moved aside to give him a better view, though she probably didn’t need to. The boulder came up to her shoulder and stretched farther than her arms could reach.

“That’s the plan."

Sebastian shook his head. "That pickaxe won't be strong enough to break that.”

“Damn, really?” Isabel frowned, pushing away the worn tool to study it. The simple wood handle was pockmarked, but smoothed from age and use. Most of the metal head was covered in mud, but some of the cleaner parts — the parts that weren’t marred by scratch marks or dents — had a dull shine to them. The pickaxe had come second-hand from a store near Grampleton, where Isabel’d also bought her shovel, scythe, hoe and watering can. She’d hoped the tools would last her through at least her first season, though Clint, Pelican Town’s blacksmith, had already pitched having them upgraded.

She pulled her eyes away from her pickaxe as she stifled a sigh. “How much do you think it costs to get a tool upgraded?”

“I’m not sure, but you know…” Sebastian brushed a hand through his floppy hair, his eyes on the boulder behind her. “I’ve got a pickaxe strong enough to handle that for you. Maybe I can bring it by tomorrow.”

The offer was so unexpected that Isabel’s eyebrow cocked before she could stop it. She tamped it down, feeling a pulse of contrition as a flush crept over the hard lines of Sebastian’s cheeks. Even so, she couldn’t help but mentally catalogue his slim-fit black jeans, his baggy sweatshirt and his black canvas shoes. He didn’t look anything like the farming type. His pale skin made her think that he hardly ever even got sun.

“Oh no, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she chirped, waving a dismissive hand behind her. “I’ve probably got half a dozen boulders like this on the farm, so I’m going to have to upgrade eventually anyway.”

“I can help until you do.” Sebastian’s gaze clashed with hers and held. The determination glittering in those flinty depths left her with no doubt that he was absolutely serious, which only confused her more. “It’ll take the blacksmith a few days to do an upgrade like that. And you’re not asking. I’m offering.”

Isabel’s lips parted to answer, but she hesitated. Was he really offering her his help for nothing? She was almost afraid to ask.

“I don’t understand,” she said finally. “Why would you want to help me?”

“Well,” Sebastian shrugged, “it’s not like I wouldn’t get anything out of it.”

She must have made a weird face because his flush intensified. The bright, hot red did odd things, softening the harsh line of his jaw and once again reminding Isabel that he was a whole eight years younger than her. His gaze bounced off her a second later.

“I mean, you can look over my resume, right?” he said quickly. “Give me some interview tips. Didn’t you say you did something like that for Joja?”

Isabel blinked. She _had_ mentioned Joja to him, hadn’t she? A chagrined heat crawled up her throat as she plastered on another smile and directed it at Sebastian’s turned head. Yoba, it was such a very good thing that he wasn’t looking at her right now. She’d thought that he’d been trying to sound… flirtatious, maybe, a minute ago, though giving it a name only highlighted how ridiculous that notion had been. As if a guy Sebastian’s age would try to pick up a woman old enough to be his… well, old enough to be eight years older than him.

The mountain air really was making her crazy.

“Yeah, I can do that. You’re job hunting right now?” At his nod, she asked, “What kind of job are you looking for?”

He shrugged again. “Something in programming.”

That tracked with the little she’d learned about Sebastian, so far. Lucky for him, she’d interviewed and placed plenty of techy-types in Zuzu City. Joja strived to provide customers with the ultimate online shopping experience while spending the least amount of money possible, meaning turnover in the IT division had been insanely high. She’d read more resumes for software developers, systems analysts and general programmers over the years than she could remember.

All that experience meant she’d definitely be able to keep her end of the bargain. Hell, if he let her help him with networking, she could almost guarantee him a job. Programmers were either fantastic at that or, more often, abysmal. She could guess which one Sebastian would be.

Besides, it wasn’t like she could really afford to turn down help. She’d already gotten her last check from Joja, and fishing had proved to be an unreliable source of income. Every bit of gold she earned needed to go toward building herself a kitchen.

Still… could she really deal with this man — this handsome, young man — seeing her covered in muck, and mud, and gunk all the time? She could feel how her high bun was now hanging, lopsided, on her head, the result of a morning spent hoofing around the farm. She’d forgone all makeup, and her cheek itched in a spot that had to be covered in dried mud.

In town, it was easy to stick on her friendliest, most unassuming smile for the townies who dug into her business and the townies who seemed to hate her mere presence. If she took this deal, Sebastian was going to get her in her full glory — scrapes, chipped nails and all.

A big, vain part of Isabel wanted to reject the offer based on that alone, but then it occurred to her that, if she accepted his help, she’d get to see Sebastian in his full glory, too. It didn’t hurt that farm work was about the farthest thing Isabel could think of from sexy. The last eight days had taught her that it was really all about dirt, and heavy lifting, and trying not to throw out your back. The farm provided the worst kind of atmosphere for romance.

“Okay, you’ve got a deal,” she said before she could second-guess herself. When she stuck her clean hand out in front of her, a sly smile bloomed across Sebastian’s face, softening his eyes and sparking a pulse of apprehension deep in Isabel’s gut. She almost pulled back before his big, broad hand covered hers.

She swallowed hard. That made it official. It was too early — or too late — for regrets now.

Before Sebastian could let go of her, Isabel squeezed his hand and adopted the saccharine smile that’d helped her to poach Kola Kola’s IT operations lead for Joja three years ago.

“I’ve got one condition. Or I guess it’s more of a request, really. Do you think there’s any way you could swing by with that pickaxe today?” she asked. “I know it’s last minute, but I promise I’ll help you with your resume literally tomorrow, if you want.”

The color was still high on his cheeks when Sebastian looked up from their joined hands.

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, as y'all can probably tell, I jinxed the hell out of myself last time 🥴 Thank you guys so much for sticking with the story through the seventh chapter. Pandemic madness is ramping up my perfectionism hard, so I really struggled with this one. Hopefully that didn't come across while reading 🤞
> 
> The goal again is for the next chapter to be up in one to two weeks. Wish me luck! 🙏 And thanks again for reading.


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